Duel of the Palates?! A Scrumptious War in India
Prologue "Exquisite foods!" proclaimed Anna Flamel. "This is why I love India!" She ran through the bazaar in Mumbai and kept stopping to admire and smell the delicious foods. Meanwhile, Rider was in her disguise. "Praetor, I really think you shouldn't be this casual. There might be another Master here." "Stop worrying, Rider!" she complained. "We're here to eat. I want to try this curry first." She conversed in English with the store owner to buy some curry off of him. She paid for it before running to a bench and sitting down. "Yum!" she declared, chowing down. Rider sighed hugely. "Umu, then let me have some, Praetor." Anna gladly put the spoon in the curry and slowly raised it to Rider's lips. She ate it and said, "Umu, this is quite delicious." "What did I tell you?" Anna began to shove her face full. ---- Bianca Esposito's eyes opened in wonder. "Look at all the tasty food, uncle Remus!" she exclaimed, running around, searching for a dish that 'looked shiny'. Remus sighed. Bianca had dragged him to India, just because of some ad they say at the airport. Remus didn't deny her request, as; 1, he wasn't physically able. Secondly, he wasn't emotionally capable enough to deny her. "Be careful, Bianca. Nothing too spicy." That was when he noticed them. Nero, and her master. He cursed under his breath. He didn't want Bianca's playtime to be ruined. He walked up to Bianca, patting her on the back. "Bianca, maybe we can go to another bazaar." "No!" Bianca yelled, catching the attention of others. "I wanna stay here! Walking is boring!" Remus sighed, it'd be a miracle if the other pair didn't notice their tantrum. Of course, tantrums didn't matter to Anna... since she technically was throwing one of her own. "Come on, Rider! Get another bite!" "No, Praetor, I would have to respectfully deny it," she groaned. "Just a bit too spicy for my palate." Anna was too busy shoving her mouth full again to notice. "Ha..." she stammered through a mouthful of food, "Even the Emperor of Roses cannot handle the exquisite spiciness of India." "Oh, please don't tease me, Praetor!" Rider pouted. She looked to her left and found the presence of a Servant. This feeling... It can't be... Not him! Remus sighed in exasperation. "Bianca, please calm down. You're gonna create a scene." "Maybe I wanna!" Bianca yelled back, pouting afterwards. "Hey, look at me! I'm Bianca Esposito!" she announced publically, which began to catch the attention of others. Chapter 1: An Explosive And Not-Safe-For-Work Collision Rider whispered, "Master. A Servant is here." "Who?" Anna asked. "It's Bianca and Lancer," Rider replied. "Heh, I wonder if Bianca is up for an eating contest," Anna mused. Before Rider could stop her, she yelled loudly, "Oi, Bianca! You up for an eating contest?!" Rider sighed and kept her hand poised in front of her, ready to summon her sword at any time. Bianca turned her head towards the voice and squealed with excitement at the sight of her cousin. "Anna!" she yelled happily, running over to join her, Remus following suit. "I'd like to have the eating contest! I'll win!" Bianca announced confidently. Remus sighed in exasperation as he was forced to stand beside Nero, trying his best to avoid her gaze. "Um... so..." Rider muttered. "Are we going to try and stop them?" "No need. As long as they stay peaceful with each other, despite being on opposite factions, we won't have to fight." Remus replied, avoiding her gaze. Meanwhile, Anna and Bianca were arguing about who should choose the food they're going to eat. They finally decided on a rock-paper-scissors match to which Anna won. Anna chose the palak paneer dish. She paid for two extra-large servings. Anna and Bianca sat at opposite ends of the table. Anna asked, "Would one of you give us a countdown?" She directed the question to both Rider and Lancer. "3...2...1...Go!" Remus said, initiating the kids into a consumption spree. The ate and they ate, until they eventually tied. "We need a tiebreaker!" Bianca announced, burping soon after. "Shoot," Rider sighed. "Hmm... Oh, I know! Praetor, why don't we go to near the ocean instead? I have to admit, it's getting stuffy being here with so many pea-... I mean, people." "Aw," Anna complained. "I'm still hungry!" Bianca nodded in approval. Rider turned to the Servant next to her. "Lancer, please! Talk some sense into them!" Remus sighed. "Bianca, let's go to the ocean, you get to swim." Bianca smiled happily. "Yay! Let's go!" "Thank Jupiter," Rider sighed. She grabbed at Anna who was still dabbing like crazy since she "won" the eating contest. Rider gently yanked on her ear and made their way west since they were facing north. They were running behind Lancer since Bianca was excited to do so. "Master, be prepared for a battle. I don't think Lancer would come here without the ulterior purpose of beating me." "I'll keep an eye out," Anna said. "But first, I want to go swimming! I hope the Indian Ocean is warm! Oh wait, this would be the Arabian Sea." Anna's face changed from a smile to a deeply thinking one. She shook it off and took off towards the ocean with Rider trying to keep up. Rider could just disappear but there were people around and the Holy Grail Wars were supposed to be kept secret. She sighed deeply and followed her Praetor. As the kids jumped into the ocean to swim, Remus sat down, his casual clothes manifesting onto his body. He looked over at Nero and chuckled. "Why are you so uptight? Relax a little, you'll live longer." Rider replied, "Well, let's see. It's been three days since we have failed to restain Zeno De Gracia and Archer of Black. There's no telling when they could strike again. But, I guess I can afford to let down my guard if you're watching my back, Lancer." Her clothes changed into a simple set of denim jeans and a white T-shirt as she sat down next to Lancer. Not too close not too far. Six inches of space was enough for her. Remus sighed. "Such a shame that you weren't able to detain those two. I was expecting more from a leader of Rome." "He may be driven by hatred but he has a smart head!" Rider retorted. "Too bad you weren't there to try and restrain him... Oh wait, you're of the same Faction. I don't think the rules would allow you to attack Servants on your side. Well, calling it a "side" is inaccurate since most of you have your own agendas." "That is correct," Remus replied. "We all have our own agendas, deep down." "Speaking of which, is it not against the rules of the war for us to be at peace?" Remus asked. "That's a question for another day," she sighed. "As long as our Masters remain friendly, we have to obey their wishes." Remus got to his feet, his armour manifesting. "Lady Bianca!" He called out. "Should I get revenge on Anna for winning the eating contest?" "Okay!" Bianca responded, not having heard what her uncle had actually said. "You heard her. Let's get to business." "Well, that was quick," Rider commented. She manifested her own armor and drew her sword. "Master, permission to use full force?" "Uh, what are we talking about?" she asked, as she only heard the first part of the question since a wave threw her under. "Sure, you can, Rider." "Well..." Rider said. "First move is who's?" "Ladies first," Remus responded. "Again with the cliche..." Rider sighed. "Umu, I'll take you up on that offer." Rider's Imperial Privilege skill activated and she used it to temporarily obtain the Mana Burst skill. Her sword glowed an angry red and she disappeared... ...only to reappear behind Lancer. Her body made a pre-motion that indicated she was about to thrust forward with her sword, powerfully and forcefully. "Class Shift," Remus muttered as his armour increased in size, becoming thicker and more protective, meaning that Remus had changed into his Shielder Class form. As the blade struck against Remus, it only sent him forward a few meters, and Remus easily recovered. "Class Shift," he stated once again, his armour becoming much lighter, and his Myriad Umbrella transforming into a machine gun. He aimed it at Nero instantly and fired away. Speed was necessary. Of course, that comes naturally to Rider. She spun her sword in circles, deflecting the bullets until Lancer had run out. "Wait, I thought you were Lancer class? Just how do you have a gun? There isn't a Gunner class, right?" Lancer laughed. "Modern upgrades, woman. It's a more...advanced version of those Archers. I'm able to shift classes, a gift from the gods, as they know they wronged me centuries ago." he responded, his body shifting back to that of a Lancer. "Now, strike me, woman!" "Hmm... Your Imperial Privilege skill must be quite high-ranked," Rider replied. "I guess I must also use it to the fullest extent." Rider charged forward and unleashed an extremely fast wave of flame from her sword, Laus Saint Claudius. It normally wasn't possible without activating her Noble Phantasm first but her Imperial Privilege skill allowed her to use a slightly weakened variant without the need of using the Aestus Domus Aurea. Remus rolled his eyes. He shifted into his Shielder Form, letting the flames go around him while he remained safe. As he shifted back to normal, he spoke. "I don't care for those terms. I care simply for battle. Now, shall you strike me? Or must the true leader of Rome strike you?" "Aren't you quite presumptuous?" Rider smirked. "I must apologize first, Lancer. But I will strike you down." She charged forward and crossed her sword to his spear. Remus stepped back almost instantly, countering her blow with his spear with utter ease. "I've seen rats with better form." he spat, pushing her blade back, performing a jab towards her lower calf. Rider changed her grip on her sword and stabbed downwards into the sand, throwing a shockwave around and lifting sand into the air. She jumped backward and swung her sword down, releasing a wave of flame. She then slashed out three more times, more flames emanating from her blade.